If Vice President Joe Biden is known as the gaffe veep, just imagine Rep. Allen West.

On Friday West said he doesn’t expect to be tapped for a VP slot, but if he got that call he’d consider it.

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In full West flourish, he also told CNN’s Kyra Phillips that he does not know the GOP’s likely nominee, Mitt Romney, very well, but would get to know him.

“Well, you know, I’ve never been out on a dinner date with him if that’s what you’re asking me,” West said. “so I don’t know if I would like him. But I think that we’d have to sit down and discuss things.”

Friday’s lively appearance pales in comparison to some of his more famous moments. Here’s POLITICO’s look back at the Florida Republican’s 10 most memorable lines:

1. “You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!” — July 19, 2011 in an email to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, where he also called her “the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable” member of the House.

2. “so I’m here as the modern day Harriet Tubman to kind of lead people on the Underground Railroad away from that plantation into a sense of sensibility.” — August 17, 2011, on Fox News saying he wants to lead black voters away from the “21st century plantation” of the Democratic Party.

3. “we need to let President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and my dear friend the chairman of the Democrat National Committee, we need to let them know that Florida ain’t on the table. Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.” — January 28, 2012, speaking at a Lincoln Day Dinner in West Palm Beach for the Peal Beach County GOP. West later backpedaled on his “get the hell out” statement, saying his words had been misinterpreted.

4. “if Joseph Goebbels was around, he’d be very proud of the [Democratic] Party because they have an incredible propaganda machine.” — December 15, 2011, linking the Nazi propagandist Goebbels with the Democratic Party while talking to reporters in the Capitol.

5. ”I will drive the car!” — July 26, 2011, after House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy played a clip from the film “The Town” in an attempt get Republicans on board with House Speaker John Boehner’s debt plan. In the clip, Ben Affleck’s character says, “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is. You can never ask me what it is. You can ask me about it later” and his friend replies, “Whose car are we gonna take?”

6. “No. I like chocolate chip ice cream and I will continue to like chocolate chip ice cream. so there’s no worry about me changing to vanilla. I like to, you know, ride my motorcycle. what do you want me to do? You want me to change my behavior and ride a scooter? I’m not into that.” August 9, 2011, answering the Sun Sentinel’s question, “should gay people change their behavior and not be gay?”

7. “I must confess, when I see anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker, I recognize them as a threat to the gene pool.” — July 18, 2011, in a post on the website Red County.

8. “I would take these gentlemen over and let them get shot at a few times and maybe they’d have a different opinion.” — may 26, 2011, speaking to the Miami Herald about members of the House who had voted to for a proposal that would have required President Barack Obama to submit a clear timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan.

9. “I need a bucket.” — Sept. 26, 2011, responding during a radio interview about what he thinks of when Rep. Wasserman Schultz’s name is mentioned.

10. “Pretty woman, walking down the street…” — February 7, 2012, singing Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” at his 51st birthday party.

Top 10 Allen West lines

EXCLUSIVE … SIMMONS MEGA-DONOR PIONEER: Texas billionaire Harold Simmons's name has been bandied about a lot as a top GOP super PAC donor this presidential cycle. Anna has the story on how the uber private Simmons has actually been a pioneer of sorts in cutting million dollar checks for years. his spokesman Chuck McDonald says it all: “Mr. Simmons has both the means and the willingness to support candidates and causes that he believes are good for the country, and that’s what he is doing today. I don’t think anything is different except that the Supreme Court has changed the rules of engagement so the numbers are bigger.” Click here for more: http://politi.co/wErBz7

WHAT YOU DIDN’T HEAR ABOUT IN LAST NIGHT’S GOP DEBATE: Lobbyists. or super PACs. Both had been hot topics in many of the previous Republican presidential debates contested since last summer. But come Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul, none of them uttered a word about either during the two-hour affair in Arizona, which CNN’s John King moderated.

TWO DAYS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES: various political groups are making millions of dollars in independent expenditures this week that directly support or oppose the election of federal candidates, particularly in the presidential race. on Tuesday and Wednesday alone, pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future has reported spending more than $4 million on advertising and related costs that almost exclusively opposes Santorum and Gingrich.

The pro-Santorum super PAC Red White and Blue Fund has in that time spent $1.07 million on ads promoting Santorum. Anti-abortion rights organization Susan B. Anthony List added $149,000 worth of independent expenditures fueling radio advertisements supporting Santorum. Super PAC Priorities USA Action, which is supporting President Barack Obama, also spent more than $229,000 since Tuesday on ads that attack Romney.

HULSHOF FINDS SECOND HOME: Former Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) is joining MSL Washington as a senior advisory in its public affairs practice. Hulshof, who has been a shareholder at Polsinelli Shughart, will continue to retain that role. "We are extremely pleased to add a leading public affairs and communications strategist like Congressman Hulshof to our team where he can assist our global clients across industry sectors," MSL's Neil Dhillon said. Hulshof is registered to lobby for several Polsinelli clients, including Farm Credit Council, Riddell Sports, Smith Electric Vehicles and TradeWind Energy.

GOOD THURSDAY AFTERNOON! Where the weather is feeling practically balmy. keep on sending us hot tips, juicy gossip and all the rest to apalmer@politico.com and dlevinthal@politico.com. Follow us on Twitter at @davelevinthal and @apalmerdc. recent followers include: @BuddyRoemer, @realrepublicans, @cam_joseph and @SusanPotomacRvr

Now, back to the latest and greatest K Street news.

KELLY'S FIGHTING IRISH: The National Association of Broadcasters PAC and the Textile Rental Service Association are playing host to the Notre Dame vs. Georgetown basketball game Feb. 27 — all in the name of raising money for Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.). The fundraiser at the Verizon Center is running $2,000 per PAC and $1,000 of personal money for two tickets, or $1,500 per PAC and $500 in personal money for one ticket.

NOT JUST FOR LATE NIGHT EATS ANYMORE: The Silver Diner — a local favorite — has hired Arent Fox. The firm is lobbying for the Maryland eatery on issues related to the "relocation and construction of Silver Diner restaurant at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport," according to a recent lobbying filing. The firm's Jon Bouker and Amal Dave are repping the client.

PELOSI, COLBERT DEAL: POLITICO's MJ Lee has the story on how Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Comedy Central funny man turned super PAC ideologue struck a deal to support the DISCLOSE Act. Click here for more: http://politi.co/wn7upX

CHAMPIONS OF THE BLIND VISIT HILL: Reps for the National Industries for the Blind and NISH met with several Capitol Hill offices Wednesday, including Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and John Boozman (R-Ariz.) and Reps. Tom Marino (R-Pa.), Cedric Richmond (D-La.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.), among others. Their message: amend the Workforce Investment Act to include AbilityOne jobs as an employment outcome and ask for support for SSA's BOND pilot program on the transition from Social Security benefits to gainful employment.

** find Washington's top executives with POLITICO Jobs, the essential destination for top political operatives, government relations executives and communications professionals looking to make their next career move. Whether in print or online, POLITICO Jobs connects you to the Beltway's elite talent. Post your job openings today on POLITICO Jobs: http://jobs.politico.com **

FEC ADJUSTS LOBBYIST BUNDLER DISCLOSURE THRESHOLD: The FEC has increased, from $16,200 to $16,700, the threshold at which many political committees must report the campaign contribution bundling activity of federally registered lobbyists. The increase is tied to the consumer price index. Details are published in the Federal Register: http://1.usa.gov/xivGf5

LOBBY LOBBYISTS FOR LOBBYING FELLOWSHIP: There’s cash on the table from the Bryce Harlow Foundation, which is offering a $6,000 fellowship award for graduate students pursuing careers in lobbying or government relations. The foundation is particularly eyeing students with good grades, notable professional achievements, “leadership potential” and financial need. find the fellowship application here: http://bit.ly/wHbTe5

CRAVAACK CAMPAIGN MAKES AMENDS: The congressional campaign of Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) has undertaken some serious spring cleaning of its books, reporting to the FEC that numerous errors appeared in its campaign finance filings from 2010 and 2011. Campaign Treasurer Ted Lovedahl noted about a dozen amendments, which he details here: http://bit.ly/zRQS8V  

HOYER FORMS NEW JOINT FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE: House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has formed a joint fundraising committee called Hoyer’s Majority Fund — a joint venture between his campaign committee and the leadership PAC he operates, known as AMERIPAC: The Fund for a Greater America. Joint fundraising committees may, at their discretion, allocate money raised to participating members so long as they abide by federal contribution limits. Amy Pritchard will serve as treasurer for the joint fundraising committee.

THURSDAY IN THE TWITTERVERSE:

@RollCallAmanda Lobbyists call Obama tax plan a ‘political document’ @SJLorber and @kackleyZ report: http://bit.ly/xsGv3g

@NancyPelosi Tune into @ColbertReport tonight to see @StephenAtHome's reaction to the #DISCLOSE Act: http://yfrog.com/kezs1duj

@stephenathome Tonight, my guest is House Minority Leader @nancypelosi. good news — I've already cut her mic.

@kevinbogardus Dem senators express support for FCC rule that could shed light on campaign ads http://bit.ly/yYtKZH

@markknoller Jay Carney also announced that Pres Obama will address AIPAC, the pro-Israeli lobbying group on March 4 — day before meeting with Netanyahu.

@FCWashington "what Your Nonprofit Needs to know About Advocacy, Lobbying and Election Activities" http://bit.ly/Avb3TR

PI ON TV: Dave raps with Keith Olbermann of Countdown with Keith Olbermann on Current TV about how super PACs are affecting the 2012 presidential race. no video yet, but read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/ykmTxo

DAILY FUNNY: Why Barack Obama can’t quit super PACs, via Buffalo News editorial cartoonist Adam Zyglis: http://bit.ly/zl3Q1S

NEW POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE FILINGS:

Strength & Liberty PAC of Santa Ana, Calif. — Treasurer: Andrew Barnett (independent expenditure-only committee)

Now or Never PAC of Kansas City, Mo. — Treasurer: James C. Thomas III (independent expenditure-only committee)

Sam vs. the Machine of Arlington, Va. — Treasurer: Scott MacKenzie (independent expenditure-only committee)

NEW REGISTRATIONS: (Firm: Client)

Acorn Energy, Inc.: Acorn Energy, Inc.

Arent Fox: Silver Diner, Inc.

Capitol Hill Consulting Group: Alliant Techsystems Operations

Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford: Halliburton Company

Delta Development Group, Inc.: S. Clark Butler Properties Corporation

Gephardt Group Government Affairs: Crane & Company

Gustafson Associates: Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE)

Stinson Morrison Hecker: Board of Public Utilities of the Unified Government of Wyandotte Co/KC,KS

Strategic Impact, Inc.: Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas

Tauzin Consultants: DBA International

** Have positions to fill at your company? Start with POLITICO Jobs — connecting you to the Beltway's elite talent. Both online and in print, POLITICO Jobs is the essential destination for top political operatives, government relations executives and communications professionals looking to make their next career move. find Washington's top executives with POLITICO Jobs. Post your job openings today: http://jobs.politico.com **

Simmons mega-donor pioneer – What you didn’t hear about in last night’s GOP debate – Hulshof finds second home – Kelly’s fighting Irish – Pelosi, Colbert deal

‘Slavery’s Last Stronghold’

This Report From CNN

On Sunday, CNN Digital released a special report called “Slavery’s Last Stronghold.” it focuses on current-day slavery in Mauritania, a West African country where an estimated 10% to 20% of people are enslaved. In 1981, Mauritania became the last country in the world to abolish slavery. It didn’t make owning a person a crime until 2007.

Work on this story started 11 months ago, after we stumbled upon a few of those statistics. as part of  The CNN Freedom Project, a multi-year effort to report on modern slavery, we began talking with anti-slavery organizations and government workers who deal with Mauritania in hopes that we could get a sense of what life is like in this place where slavery is so shockingly common. Eventually we found SOS Slaves, an abolitionist group in Mauritania that was founded by a former slave owner and a man whose family was enslaved.

Think about that for a second: a slave and a slave owner came together to start an organization that is now trying to liberate people in a place where slavery is arguably more intractable and more common than anywhere else on Earth. It’s such a powerful symbol of hope, cooperation and reconciliation. of putting aside differences for the greater good.

We wanted to meet these men and tell their stories.

It wouldn’t be easy. Mauritania doesn’t allow foreign journalists to go to the country to report on slavery. we had to enter with permission to report another story and then conduct our research for this project covertly. a hired security guard accompanied videographer Edythe McNamee and me on the trip. A government minder was assigned to follow our team. we had to try to distract him while we conducted interviews; we’d been warned that if we were found talking with people about slavery we would be arrested or kicked out of the country.

All the while, we were driven by a specific goal: to help Mauritania eradicate slavery. Like other Freedom Project articles and videos that have been featured on this blog, on CNN.com and on television, this report aims to shine a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery and to amplify the voices of slavery’s victims. The goal isn’t to shame Mauritania for being a vestige of old-world, descendent-based slavery. It’s to start a conversation that could create change.

When we arrived in West Africa in December, we weren’t sure what to expect. But, over the course of the 8-day journey, we fell in love with the country in a bizarre way. It’s a place of agonizing beauty – one that’s easy to love and hate in the same thought. It’s frustrating. It’s maddening. But it’s worth caring about. despite the brutal forms of slavery there – witness the story of the woman shown in the photo above who escaped only in 2010 – there’s reason to believe Mauritania can improve.

Related articles 52.586951 -1.105914  

Mauritania: Slavery’s last stronghold

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: GOP Sen. Johanns calls for House Republicans to pass a short-term extension
• Obama urges the House GOP to “reconsider” its opposition to the Senate plan
• Speaker Boehner again urges Democrats to negotiate an immediate one-year deal
• The payroll tax cut is set to expire December 31

What does $40 mean in your household? Let us know in a short video.

Washington (CNN) — The top Senate Republican called Thursday for a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut as part of a compromise, increasing pressure on House GOP leaders to end their resistance to such a step.

However, House Speaker John Boehner quickly rejected Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s call, releasing a statement that reiterated his call for negotiators to craft an immediate one-year tax cut extension — something now considered unlikely by most congressional observers.

With nine days until the payroll tax cut is set to expire, bringing a tax increase averaging $1,000 for American workers, the ongoing impasse pitting the House Republican leadership against the White House, congressional Democrats and fellow Republicans is the kind of political gamesmanship that Americans dislike about Congress, President Barack Obama said Thursday.

At issue is whether the House should pass a Senate compromise that extends the lower payroll tax rate for two months. it passed last Saturday by an 89-10 vote, with strong Republican support, after Senate negotiators were unable to agree on a one-year extension.

Boehner, R-Ohio, instead demands negotiations on a one-year extension, arguing that anything shorter simply prolongs the issue and causes uncertainty for American taxpayers and businesses.

His stance has drawn sharp criticism this week, including an editorial in the conservative Wall Street Journal that said House Republicans had lost the political advantage of advocating tax cuts to Obama and the Democrats.

On Thursday, McConnell’s proposal and calls by other conservative Republicans for the House to accept a short-term extension showed the tide turning against Boehner and his GOP leaders.

McConnell, R-Kentucky, urged House Republicans to support an unspecified temporary extension of the payroll tax holiday. In return, he pushed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, to appoint conferees to a House-Senate conference committee to iron out differences over a one-year extension — something requested by House Republicans.

“House Republicans sensibly want greater certainty about the duration of these provisions, while Senate Democrats want more time to negotiate the terms,” McConnell said in a written statement. “These goals are not mutually exclusive. We can and should do both.”

McConnell and Reid spoke later Thursday, according to a Senate source, but no details on what they discussed were immediately available.

Meanwhile, conservative Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Nebraska, and Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wisconsin, added their voices to GOP calls for House Republicans to relent in their standoff.

“Leader McConnell was right to ask Senator Reid to appoint conferees, and the House should pass the Senate compromise while we continue searching for a resolution by February,” Johanns said in a statement, while Duffy said he would support anything to avoid a January 1 tax hike.

“While I would prefer a year-long tax holiday, I refuse to let anyone play games with my constituents who stand to face a significant tax hike if we don’t act,” Duffy said in a statement. “That’s why I will support any option to extend the payroll tax cut.”

McCain: GOP losing payroll fight Durbin: ‘Voice of reason will prevail’ Impact of not extending tax cut Wall Street Journal slams GOP

However, Boehner continued to resist such calls, telling reporters earlier Thursday that “we can do better.”

“It’s time for us to sit down and have a serious negotiation and solve this problem,” he said.

Obama reiterated the Democratic position in a phone call with Boehner Thursday morning, stating that the House should pass the Senate’s two-month extension and then negotiators should get to work on a longer-term deal.

The president also met with a group of middle-class Americans as part of a White House attempt to illustrate the impact on 160 million American workers if the tax holiday ends December 31. The typical worker’s take home salary will shrink by about $40 per pay period without the tax cut, or $1,000 annually.

“It’s time for the House to listen … to the voices all across the country and reconsider,” Obama said. “I am ready to sign that (Senate) compromise into law the second it lands on my desk.”

“So far, the only reason it hasn’t landed on my desk … is because a faction of House Republicans have refused to support this compromise,” the president added. “Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things we can’t do it? it doesn’t make any sense.”

Reid, reinforcing Obama’s stance, released a statement promising that he will be “happy to restart the negotiating process to forge a year-long extension” as soon as the House passes the Senate’s compromise plan.

Many in the GOP fear the issue is damaging the party’s anti-tax reputation heading into the 2012 campaign.

Pushed by his conservative, tea party-infused House GOP caucus, Boehner continues to insist that anything short of an immediate 12-month extension of the tax holiday will only create more economic instability and do little to generate job growth.

Also at stake: extended emergency federal unemployment benefits and the so-called “doc fix,” a delay in scheduled pay cuts to Medicare physicians.

Both of those measures, along with the tax holiday, are currently scheduled to expire in nine days.

All top Democrats and Republicans now publicly agree on the need for a one-year extension, but critics of the House GOP’s stance insist that the Senate’s two-month extension is necessary to give negotiators more time to hammer out a deal over how to pay for the continuation.

They accuse House Republicans of creating the very instability they have railed against, and of needlessly creating yet another congressional crisis at the end of a year filled with Capitol Hill showdowns.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee, strongly criticized the House GOP’s stance on CNN’s “American Morning” Thursday.

“The Republicans are losing this fight. We need to get back on track,” McCain said. “A thousand dollars a year is a big amount of money to most Americans, and I think it’s very important. … I worry about the fact that we are continuing to increase the debt and the deficit, but now it’s become very symbolic, and I think it has to be done.”

The Wall Street Journal editorial blasted Boehner and his House GOP colleagues, arguing that they had “achieved the small miracle of letting Mr. Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter.”

“At this stage, Republicans would do best to cut their losses and find a way to extend the payroll holiday quickly,” the paper’s editorial writers said.

A Senate GOP leadership aide told CNN Wednesday that House Republicans had “painted themselves into a corner.”

“This is a lose-lose situation for us. (House Republicans) let the Democrats get the messaging advantage and, more specifically, we’ve turned one of our key issues on its head,” the aide said. “The Republicans look like they are the ones blocking tax relief.”

“When you are arguing process, you are losing, by definition,” the aide added. “We are arguing process while they’ve got politics on their side.”

Despite mounting pressure on House Republicans to give in and pass the $33 billion Senate bill, a well-placed House GOP source indicated Wednesday that his side would not consider an end-game to the standoff until next week, just days before the December 31 deadline.

Numerous Senate Republicans have indicated they feel politically undercut by their House colleagues after agreeing to the two-month compromise negotiated by McConnell and Reid.

The House GOP caucus, however, revolted against that blueprint, calling it an inadequate patchwork plan. on Tuesday, the House voted 229-193 on a virtual party-line basis to express its disagreement with the Senate bill and call for the creation of a House-Senate conference committee to resolve the matter — something previously ruled out by Reid.

The House also approved a separate resolution supporting a year-long extension of both the payroll tax cut and emergency unemployment benefits, along with a new, two-year doc fix.

Further complicating matters is the fact that the Senate has adjourned for the year. most House members also left Washington after Tuesday’s vote.

A number of Republicans have said the party should have declared victory after winning an agreement by Obama — as part of the payroll tax cut package — to make a decision within the next 60 days on whether to proceed with the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Republicans and some Democratic union leaders say the controversial pipeline will create thousands of new jobs; critics question its environmental impact.

A failure to act could have major political fallout. Numerous observers believe Obama is preparing to parrot Harry Truman’s 1948 campaign next year by running against an unpopular, dysfunctional Congress controlled partly by the GOP.

CNN’s Ted Barrett, Dana Bash, Kate Bolduan, Lisa Desjardins, Matt Hoye, Xuan Thai, and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.

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McConnell calls for short-term payroll tax deal

We kind of figured the Grand Central Apple Store was going to be a huge deal, but we weren’t expecting thousands to line up to get in on the first day. with all the excitement in the air some of the folks waiting in line captured videos to share, showing off just how many people were around. Apple had promised the first 4,000 people would receive a free t-shirt, and within just the first hour there was 1,000 people in the store and 500 waiting patiently for their turn to enter.

Are you hitting the Grand Central Apple Store today? If so, drop your pictures and impressions into the comments!

Source: CNN

Grand Central Apple Store open for business

by Jeff Sonderman Published Dec. 9, 2011 10:56 am Updated Dec. 9, 2011 11:48 am

Personalized news aggregator Zite, acquired by CNN in September, is going strong. Today it launches its first iPhone app, and earlier this week it began testing an innovative business model.

“So far CNN has been an ideal partner,” Zite CEO mark Johnson told me. while the Zite team is now looking at ways to employ its personalization algorithm on CNN.com, more than 80 percent of development time is still spent on the core Zite service. “They [CNN] are letting us grow, they’re letting us expand, they’re letting us try new things.”

Zite, adapted to the iPhone screen.

Zite adapted its signature iPad app to an iPhone app launched Friday, making it available to millions more people in the same week that Flipboard made the same leap and Google launched a new, cross-platform news reading app.

Although there’s a lot of competition, Zite is confident because its technology saves the most time for on-the-go iPhone users, Johnson said. Flipboard pursued the same goal by adding a personalized “cover stories” section to its iPhone app. But with Zite, personalization is the whole point.

“Because we have this personalized experience, we can deliver the right stuff for you, really quickly,” Johnson said. “The worst thing about a phone is trying to sift through anything, because you’ve got a really small interface. It’s not good for searching, it’s not good for looking, it’s not good for browsing. You really want to get the stuff you want really quickly.”

The Zite section sponsored by Lululemon Athletica aggregates Web content for fitness fans.

Meanwhile, on Monday the company announced its first “branded section.” Fitness apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica sponsors a content channel that aggregates personal health and fitness content — “things that inspire and challenge us.”

This is a creative approach that holds some promise, because it’s not traditional advertising and it’s not just promotional press releases from the company. Fitness-minded readers get value from authentic, personalized content like healthy recipes and yoga workouts. and Lululemon builds a brand relationship with the fitness-minded readers it wants as customers.

“I really think it’s a new way for brands to interact with customers,” Johnson said. “One thing we learned at Zite over the past few months is that brands are producing a lot of content, and they’re not very good content producers, and they’re terrible distributors. They know they need to produce this content to interact with their customers, but they have no idea how to get it to them.”

This business model is uniquely suited to how Zite works, but other news orgs may draw inspiration by thinking of ways in their own products to create value for businesses and audiences at the same time.

CNN’s Zite launches iPhone app for personalized news, and tests a business model

(CNN) — The 5-year-old son of country music singer Mindy McCready has been recovered and is in good health in the custody of officials in Arkansas, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Children and Families told CNN Friday.”We’re working with local law enforcement and the Arkansas (Division of Children and Family Services) and we’re going to bring him home to Florida to his legal guardian as soon as possible,” Terri Durdaller said about the boy, Zander.Mindy McCready’s assistant said the singer turned Zander over to the Arkansas authorities and that he would be returned to her on Monday. “She’s looking forward to having her case heard in front of an unbiased courtroom,” the assistant said. “She has a 99% chance of her child leaving with her on Monday morning.”She described Zander as “very OK.”But Mindy McCready’s mother and stepfather, Gayle and Michael Inge, have legal custody of the boy and the singer has only visitation rights.”We’re relieved,” they told CNN. “We feel sorrow for Zander because he’s traumatized, and for Mindy. we just hope she does the right thing from here on out and that this is a wake-up call for her.”The boy was located hours after Gayle Inge made a public plea for her daughter to obey a court order to return her son to the care of the Inges.the imbroglio started when McCready, who has fought a public battle against drug addiction, took her son from her father’s Florida home.this week, a Florida judge ordered McCready to return the boy to authorities. when she did not comply, another judge issued an emergency “pickup order,” authorizing officers to pick up the boy. the singer was ordered to produce Zander and failed to do so.Though McCready said that the boy was with her, authorities considered him to be missing.McCready’s publicist issued a statement, saying McCready “has not been charged with illegal wrongdoing.”"Ms. McCready’s No. 1 priority has always been, and continues to be, the safety of her son,” publicist Kat Atwood said.McCready has asked a court to restore custody to her out of concern over the boy’s safety, Atwood said.McCready burst on the music scene in 1996 with the debut album “10,000 Angels” and the chart-topping country hit “Guys Do It All the Time.”Her website biography says she’s had romances with musician David Malloy and actor Dean Cain, and touches on her career stalling, as well as her having an “explosive relationship” with Billy McKnight, the boy’s father, who is himself a country singer.McCready participated in the 2009 season of the reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”Copyright CNN 2011

Singer Mindy McCready’s Son, 5, Found Safe

On Wednesday night, a GOP debate in Michigan brought together eight presidential candidates, but one walked away that night probably feeling pretty bad about his performance.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry seemed to draw a blank when the moderator asked him what the third agency he would aim to shut down in his plan.

“the third agency of government I would – I would do away with Education, the Commerce, and, let's see. I can't. the third one, I can't. sorry. Oops." (Watch the moment in the video below.)

PHOTOS: 10 Hollywood Players that Will Make a difference in the 2012 Elections

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